the_haven_archivesfandomcom-20200213-history
Global Tournament
The Global Tournament was an event that took place over several months, and several different locations all over the world. Familiar faces and new ones alike were forced into a battle for supremacy, with the world's future at stake. Events A Call to Arms On an early morning, a sinister voice seems to overtake various radio channels, transmitting a message to Haven City, Eden City and locations beyond. It was Connor's voice. "To any fighters, heroes or otherwise, I call upon you today. 2 weeks from now, I shall hold a tournament of grand scale, where all shall see you battle in epic combat. Fights will be held in different countries, until we are left with two combatants. All entries will have luxurious accommodation and paid for transportation to their matches and any matches being held. The winners prize is $2,000,000 free of taxes and will have a chance to protect their title in the next tournament we hold. Dare to test your abilities, bold enough to claim your dominance? We look forward to seeing you at the Global Tournament-- Hosted by ConCorp." After the message was completed, an automated voice played over and over. All combatants can join by signing their names at any nearby flyers that can be spotted anywhere in major cities, thank you. Numerous fighters decided to sign up for the tournament, all with varying goals in mind. Magnus was wary of how Connor was, and only joined the tournament to seek out his intentions, whether they be nefarious or not. Ashlynn joined merely as a test of his skills thus far, as improvements were always welcome. Aestus had felt the same way, though his intentions were more so driven by a thirst for battle. Thymus joined only because of the cash prize. Frostii fell somewhere between the money and the experience, as did Tensen. Luciel entered with more nefarious ideas in mind, planning to unleash a virulent strain of the Red Death virus to secure an easy win. Even Connor's own sons, Jay and Sora, joined the tournament. None of them would have even the slightest clue of who they would face in their battles, but things were about to get a whole lot more hectic. The Tournament Begins On a Haven City evening, a figure had appeared near Maverick Tower. He stood with a smile and gazed upon the vast architecture of the building, before making an approach. Completely bypassing the front gate, his presence was soon brought to the attention of Magnus. The man revealed himself to be Jay Angelo, being the son of Connor Angelo. Jay seemed to have a high interest with ConCorp Tower, being his father's business. Magnus and Jay conversed for quite a long while, and Magnus had been able to uncover Jay's intentions for entering the tournament. He had seemed that he wished to seek out his father, and confront him in some fashion. Whether it was to uncover some unknown truth or merely meet the man who was his father, Magnus felt ill of the possibilities. Though their goals were entirely related, Magnus felt Jay would not like the truth that he sought. "No amount of money will save you from the madness." Magnus gave Jay a warning, though Jay's reaction seemed like it was exactly what he was searching for. He still seemed rather interested in his father. Perhaps the sort of interest that would have let nothing stand in his way. "But what if it's the madness I seek?" Jay had replied, clearly showing himself to be a man not to be trifled with. In these few words, Magnus had been reminded of his long history with Connor, and how he turned from a friend to a madman. He didn't wish to see the same fate befall his son, but Magnus couldn't stop him, either. "I suppose I'll be seeing you at the tournament, then." Jay began to walk off then, but before he did, he made his reply. "I suppose you will." Right Hand While many were preparing themselves for whatever the tournament might bring, Connor plotted behind the scenes. From the ConCorp building, located in the heart of Eden City, he studied various files on all the different combatants that had entered the tournament, and even some who hadn't. He had files on everyone, foretelling their exploits up until now. However, one particular file caught his eye. A being who had only shown up recently, who called himself Apophis. This man seemed to revel in slaughtering humans, and being of a pro-human stance, this annoyed Connor greatly. With the file in hand, he somehow was able to use it to triangulate Apophis' current whereabouts, and Connor whisked himself away in a shroud of neon energy. Mere seconds later, Connor was greeted by the presence of Magnus, Anaithnid and Xevli, of who were seemingly confronting the manslayer Apophis. While the other men were intriguing, Connor's attention was entirely fixated on Apophis. Despite his anger, he was polite towards Apophis. He first asked his name, but this is when his polite demeanor wore away. Connor ensnared the man in neon energy, trapping him to a single point. "The difference between men who play God and men who are God is that one has to atone for the sins they commit. Guess which one you are." Connor spoke in a sly tone, before infusing Apophis with the neon energy. The neon energy that invaded Apophis' body seemed to "curse" him, inflicting excruciating pain at irregular intervals. This was Connor's given punishment for those who attempted to harm humans. Connor smiled at the other three men and said, "be good, boys." With that, he disappeared once more, likely to return to ConCorp and continue orchestrating the tournament. Sometime later, Connor had made another announcement, that ominously broadcast over every capable frequency throughout Haven City, Eden City, Emperor City and Volker City. First match, Magnus vs Havion-Akuma. This match will take place in Brussels, dates will be the 03/07/14, flights must be taken on the 02/07/14 as a group. I've been briefed that the ESS are sending in an agent for the tournament, so things should balance out. Flights back are on 04/07/14, I expect all combatants returned by then. I will announce the next fight and the next destination. Enjoy. The message played on repeat, with a sinister laughter ending every loop. Turbulence and Arrival Several days after Connor's sudden appearance, Magnus awoke to the sounds of an obnoxious car horn. The sound was so loud that it seemed to irritate everyone within the vicinity of Maverick Tower. Magnus hurried himself to see what the noise was, only to discover that there was a rather extravagant limousine parked outside. "Eh, so you're Magnus? I'm gonna take you to the airport, compliments of ConCorp." The limo driver had said, peering out the gap of a rolled-down window. "The flight isn't until tomorrow," Magnus had replied. The limo driver shrugged his shoulders. "Plan's changed. Flight leaves in 10 minutes, better hop in." Magnus gathered whatever supplies he would need for the trip, and entered the limo. Along the way, they also picked up Ashlynn and Hazel, before ultimately arriving at the airport terminal. Sora was there waiting, and expressed his disappointment in their late arrival. Despite this, he still deemed it necessary to flirt with several women that passed him by. Boarding a private jet, the vessel was already populated by others who had arrived earlier. Mainly, these were Jay and Havion. The flight soon took off. Jay and Sora kept to themselves, while Ashlynn and Hazel conversed. Havion and Magnus exchanged glances, knowing that the only thing keeping them from fighting right now was the others on the jet. However, it was revealed that Connor had other plans for the passengers. The pilot morphed into some sort of monster and attacked. Before it was able to strike, all those aboard suddenly found themselves in a new place. Havion and Jay were missing, and Magnus, Sora, Ashlynn and Hazel were all stranded in a forest somewhere. "This place isn't natural. I can feel some sort of power surging through me." Magnus had realized that wherever they were, it wasn't of this Earth. Suddenly, the group was ambushed when monsters charged through the underbrush. The four were forced to team up and deal with the threat. Sora wielded a lethal katana, from which he slashed and stabbed his way through the hordes of impossible beings. Magnus used his negative energy, spawning forth extra appendages for him to manipulate the battlefield. Hazel seemed to employ a psychokinetic force, and attacked from a ranged position. Ashlynn used her hidden blades, and became a force to be reckoned with, slaughtering her foes with her incredible agility. Although some of them were injured by the invading force, these impossible beings could not survive a joint onslaught. With all of them eventually slain, four orbs seemed to spring forth from the last that was killed. It fused with the four, and although its purpose was unknown, it seemed to be merely another test set by Connor. After the battle had been won, all four of them reappeared on the plane like nothing happened. It was as if a distortion in time and space had occurred, as all was back to how it was before. Jay was keeping to himself and Havion still stared with that sinister smile of his. Even the pilot was back to being human, still flying the plane towards the destination. It seemed like nothing happened, but they all still had their injuries. Shortly thereafter, a voice came over the intercom. "Approaching Brussels airport, ETA 10 minutes." The four simply tried to relax for the rest of the flight, knowing their woes were far from over. After 10 minutes had elapsed, the plane landed at the airport, with rubber tires screeching to a stop. Ashlynn, Hazel and Magnus departed from the jet, with everyone else going their separate ways. A familiar limo pulled up outside the airport strip. The driver was the same man from before, who had taken them to Haven City's airport. Somehow, he had gotten to Brussels before them. "Can I take ya--... oh, it's you guys. The boss ordered me to take ya to your hotel, so here I am." The trio entered the limo, and were taken towards their hotel. Meanwhile, Luciel plotted behind the scenes. Knowing that she did not have the physical strength to overcome her opponents, she resorted to more nefarious means. Using a special strain of the Red Death Virus, she planned on infecting her opponents and rendering them either too weak to fight or dead. This obsession consumed her. Perhaps Snow Man had known from the start that she planned to do this, hence his search. Luciel was nowhere near the hotel, however. Instead, she stayed at a nearby inn and continued her planning. Even if the tournament were to proceed, another Red Death epidemic would surely put an end to that. Upon reaching the hotel, Ashlynn was first to leave the limo. Thymus had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, and joined them as well. Before Magnus was able to enter the hotel, he was stopped by the armored soldier known as Snow Man. He asked for the whereabouts of Luciel, who had been missing since she signed up for the tournament. Magnus shook his head, as he didn't know where she was. Snow Man walked away into the hotel, perhaps to get a room himself. Approaching the front desk, it was revealed that all accommodations had been paid for by ConCorp. It was to be expected. While the gesture would seem nice, all of them knew that Connor was a manipulator. After settling into the suite, Ashlynn and Hazel left to explore Brussels. Thymus had his fun in the pool, and Magnus merely stared out at the city. It was night already. Lights beamed upwards from the Brussels stadium, far in the distance. In a few more hours, it would be the next day. On that day, the first match of the tournament would finally begin. Sometime before the first match, Sora caught up with Magnus. Through some sort of precognition or unexplained event, Sora had grim news. They were all destined to die in seven days. Match 1: Death Clash The time had come for the first match. The Brussels Arena was filled up with spectators, eager to watch some quality violence. Even some of the combatants were present, like Ashlynn and Thymus, here to cheer on the fights. Connor himself was here to judge the match, like the Roman emperors of old. Magnus made himself known, appearing from the shadows to grace the battlefield. To oppose him, ConCorp employees wheeled out a reinforced cage, containing god-knows-what within. After throwing the cage open, the employees quickly ran away and allowed the cage's prisoner to come out. It was Havion, though he was not as he was on the plane. He looked more animalistic, hunched over in his posture and the corrupted eyes covering half his torso. Black horns tore forth from his skin, and his gaze was of a blood red. He was ready to kill. Havion immediately reared his head back, charging some sort of powerful energy between his horns. He fired it off in a laser, straight at Magnus. Magnus rushed through the laser and smashed his fist into Havion's chin, in a fierce uppercut. Their back and forth battle continued for quite some time, with Magnus punching Havion's face and Havion sinking his demonic fangs into Mag's wrist. The two came at odds eventually, and Havion stopped for a chat. "This is what we live for. We are servants of Death, you and I." Havion spoke with a demonic tone, hardly recognizable from his original voice. Whatever Connor had done to him, Havion had become something far worse than what he was before. Magnus eventually responded. "That's what we are, after all. Death." Havion seemed to find this funny, or he had merely gone insane. He cackled, holding out his right hand in the meanwhile. The plethora of soul energy that was stored in his body now collected into a solid object, which Havion grasped. This formed his sword, Dreadmire. "I like that. You and I are alike, you know. All we ever did was reap souls and follow orders. Well, you more so. I just love it for the killing. I love seeing the light drain from their ey--" Magnus interrupted Havion. "All you ever wanted was power. You're nothing but a disgrace, Havion." Havion seemed amused by the prospect. "I'm a disgrace? You're the one who abandoned your duties. You're the disgrace here." Magnus quickly summoned Gilgamesh, and the two soon clashed again. Havion had lost his sanity entirely, and showed no regret in his actions. All he wanted was revenge against Magnus, the man who had beaten him several times before. They clashed for quite a while, until Havion was able to take advantage of Magnus' exposed flank. Manifesting a soul spear, Havion stabbed him in the side, forcing Magnus to the ground from his injuries. Further taking advantage of Magnus in his weakened state, Havion smashed his knee into his face, sending him flying. Magnus attempted to right himself, while Havion merely cackled over the poor state of this man. "Don't turn your back on Magnus." Connor began to comment. "He's got a lot of fight in him." Havion turned back to Magnus, and got angry. "Just die already!" He yelled, running over and kneeing Magnus in the face again. Havion began to viciously curb stomp Magnus in his feet, attempting to break them so he could no longer get up. He laughed maniacally, enjoying it the whole way through. However, something surprised Havion. Magnus suddenly caught Havion's foot, and put through immense strength to flip the figure through the air. Panting and heaving from his injuries, Magnus sighed and spoke. "If I'm destined to die here, I'm taking you to Hell with me." Magnus allowed Askal to take over from there, and his entire body was overtaken by negative energy. A single red eye peered from the shadow figure, who arose with new vigor. Havion cackled in response. "Finally, you show your true self! Let it be like old times!" Havion and Askal clashed at the center of the stadium, until Havion managed to grab Askal's throat. "Soon, we shall be one." Havion employed some sort of new technique, one that he had never used before. Using the massive soul energy contained in his body, he was able to invade Askal's body. From there, the fight continued within the mind. In the subconsciousness, there appeared an empty void of black. Magnus and Askal appeared as separate entities. Havion now wished to dominate the body, and put an end to the fight. Magnus and Askal wielded Gilgamesh and Thanatos, respectively. "I'm starting to grow tired of you. I suggest you leave. This mind belongs to me now." Havion spoke. "Not going to happen." Askal and Magnus replied in unison. They both charged at Havion, attempting to slash at him. Havion easily evaded, soon splitting his body into several clones of himself, all of which surrounded Magnus and Askal. "You're making this too easy for me, Havion." Askal said, and Havion quickly replied. "Likewise, Askal." Magnus and Askal used both of their scythes and rotated in a full circle, sending out powerful waves of negative energy to hit every clone at once. None of them had been the actual Havion, who appeared again and reared for another assault. Once again, Askal and Magnus charged at him, but they changed it up this time. They quickly merged into one and it was Magnus who slashed at Havion. Havion was able to dodge this, but something caught him. He gasped, realizing that it was only a distraction. Askal had split off, and stabbed Havion from behind with his katana, Hades. Havion's metaphysical being fell to his knees, with his gaze lingering on Magnus. "That was your mistake, Havion. This is my mind, not yours." Havion shuddered. "Well done..." Magnus slashed down upon Havion, and ejected Havion from his mind. The scene returned to the stadium, as the crowd had hushed when Askal's body fell. He returned as Magnus, no longer under the influence of his counterpart. Havion had been ejected and laid there, unable to move. He stared at Magnus with what may have been fear, something he hadn't felt in so long. "You and I were never alike. You were just too blind to see it." Taking Gilgamesh, he shook it and caused the scythe blade to extend straight, taking on the scythe's spear form. He took his weapon and impaled Havion between the eyes, snuffing out his life in an instant. In his death, all the soul energy exited his body like one massive column of light. The crowd gasped as a spiraling vortex of reds and blues shot up into the air, piercing the clouds. Magnus had already begun to walk away. When all of the soul energy had dissipated, Havion was left as a hollow husk. His corpse broke apart, turning to dust. The crowd erupted into unanimous cheer, as the results were clear. "The winner is Magnus! Congratulations, Team A!" The announcer cried enthusiastically. Magnus stumbled back into the locker room, barely able to keep himself standing. His wounds were getting the better of him. "You're won your team some points. I'm proud of you." Connor added, after the announcer finished speaking. Magnus would live, however. The first match of the tournament ended. The Successor Following the match, Magnus was quickly aided by Hazel, Thymus and Ashlynn, and he was hurried back to the hotel for treatment. Soon joined by Sora, he helped them get Magnus into the bedroom. Ashlynn used some of her powers to heal Magnus of his injuries, which, if left untreated, could have caused some serious long-term effects. Match 2: The God Slayer The second match was unique and on a whole knew scale as opposed to the first. Hades, God of the Underworld was facing off Ashlynn. When the time had come for the second match, a blimp appeared in front of the Brussels Hotel, where the combatants had resided in. Hades was already within the blimp, strapped into his chair with two selenium-metallic minions at either of his sides. Once Ashlynn made her way into the zeppelin, Ashlynn strapped herself within her own chair. Hades attempted to make small talk, asking her how she enjoyed Tartarus and if it was too hot for her. After a few snarky quips from the both of them, an announcer had appeared before them and told the combatants to put on their headgear, which would then sent them to a virtual realm within Tartarus. The fight began, and Hades was continuously taunting Ashlynn, who was still trying to cope with what had happened and how she arrived at Tartarus. The immense heat and g-force weren't doing her any favor, but still she prevailed and took on Hades. Hades swung down his bident, a two-pronged weapon, Agesilaos, at Ashlynn, who evaded it without breaking a sweat. Souls from the Styx burst from the prongs and began grasped at her arms. Their touches bit into her skin, welting it. They sent currents from the river, Phlegethon, through her which started burning her vitals slowly. In pain, facing fatigue, and under great pressure, Ashlynn refused to back down. From her hands, she sent light, orb-shaped sparks into the souls, which distorted their figures. She broke free of their lethal grasps. She conjured the larger spark of light and sent it flying towards Hades. He fell back, due to Ashlynn’s unexpected take on the offensive, but he brushed it off and started laughing at her, nearly rolling on the floor. Even though Hades’ laughter tended to be contagious, Ashlynn was not the slightest amused, for she was only getting started. She dug deeper into her power, and raised her sword, Seranova, which sending beams of energy from it. These beams of white light hurtled towards the jovial Hades, who was still on the ground. Hades’ form flew into the surrounding rocks, causing stalactites to fall around him. His form melded into the shadows, hiding himself from the falling debris. When the peace settled, his form took shape once again, but it no longer looked like the facetious Hades that had been battling the young Ashlynn prior. This version of him was armored from head to toe: his armor was an onyx color with a three-headed-dog impression on the front of his breast plate. His helmet covered the entirety of his head, excluding his mouth and his now-blazingly blue eyes. His lower body was covered in onyx plated armor and greaves decorated his feet. His bident was replaced with two gladii swords, Katachthonios and Agesander, which glimmered like alabaster, a contrast to his armor. His form shimmered between this aspect and his previous one before it finally fizzled out, allowing his Roman form, Pluto, to be the dominant personification. He stomped his greaved foot three times, and two metallic like droids, similar to the ones in the zeppelin except these were made of diamond ores, dug their way up from the ground. They were formed in the shape of him and shared immersive power, siphoning parts of Pluto’s souls into themselves: they became him and he became them. They dug into their inner wells of energy, and soon enough, their diamond ore began to shift into identical clones of Pluto. It was nearly impossible to determine which of the three males in the arena were the true Hades. The three of them started creating a counter-orb, similar to the ones Ashlynn had formed and powerful enough to wipe Ashlynn out of that realm. Astonishment flickered across Ashlynn’s face before that killing-calm of determination overtook her. However, due to her heightened speed, she was able to move far enough away, and sent heavenly flames at Pluto and his two clones. She let them marinate in the heat she produced, and swiftly moved behind the middle Pluto, whom she thought to be the real Pluto. With Seranova, she swiped the sharp blade at his calves, severing the muscle tendons and the nerves, causing his form to buckle onto his knees. With part of his back exposed from his armor, she thrusted her blade through the meat of his lower rib cage, driving her blade up and into where his heart should be. She held her blade there for a set amount of time. She twisted the hilt, causing the blade within the male to turn, which made it impossible to stitch back together, and pulled her blade from the wound. The three forms of Pluto all uttered simultaneously, as if it were a recording, “''Flectere si nequeo superos, acheronta movebo''.” You're welcome, I guess. Ashlynn replied with her usual witty self, and the 3 forms of Pluto vanished. The wounded one’s body was replaced with ashes that sparkled in the light. Ashlynn returned to the blimp, with a message from Connor himself. You've earned yourself and your team a few points. Bravo. You have a reward awaiting you back in Haven. With that, Ashlynn had set off out of the blimp in a good mood with a well earned victory, a well deserved victory. Though, darkness still laid ahead for Team A. No matter how little their chances remain they must fight with will and courage a true warrior’s weapon.Category:History Category:Lore